BACKGROUND

It was considered beneficial to provide some background to the LTD function and context around achievements and current challenges.

The LTD function has evolved since the inception of Police Scotland. It was previously an interim initial structure reporting to the Director, People & Development (P&D) and covering the 8 legacy forces training teams, plus the Scottish Police College (SPC) at Tulliallan, the Scottish Crime & Drug Enforcement Agency training team and the Scottish Police Services Authority training roles. The initial structure had six departments:

• Local Training Delivery
• National Training Delivery (SPC)
• Leadership (now Leadership & Talent)
• Business Development (incl. the International Academy)
• Quality Assurance
• Governance, Demand & Planning

Over the years, the governance and structure of LTD has changed a number of times with the International Academy moving out and then back into the function. Leadership was separated to report directly to the Director, People & Development (P&D). Furthermore, in 2021, LTD changed reporting line from the Director of P&D to the Assistant Chief Constable, Professionalism & Assurance.

The function is now managed by a Chief Superintendent and is split into three departments – Training Delivery, Service Delivery and the International Academy.

• The Training Delivery department is responsible for delivery of:
Operational Training – this encompasses Probationer training, Special Constable training, Operational Safety Training (OST) and First Aid training, and business skills training
Crime & Specialist Training – this encompasses Detective training, Covert and some Counter Terrorism training, Intelligence and Analytical training, Digital & Data Skills Academy and Driver training
Learning Technologies – encompasses IT training, E-learning and the Audio-Visual function
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) and Continuous Professional Development (CPD)

• The Service Delivery department is responsible for:
Governance, Demand & Planning
Quality Assurance
Training Co-ordination and Administration
Early Careers and Skills Development – includes management of the Modern Apprenticeship scheme
Training Management Co-ordination Unit

• The International Academy (previously the International Development and Innovation Unit) has recently transferred from the Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing portfolio into LTD. The Academy identifies and progresses opportunities to provide international policing assistance to emerging and developing nations. They work with international agencies, police services and government bodies to design, implement and evaluate change programmes with learning and development as a core element.

It should be noted that there is a significant volume of training that is owned and delivered by other business areas across the organisation. Including Criminal Justice Division, Specialist Crime Division and C3 as well as Operational Support Division who deliver Firearms, Public Order, some Road Policing, and Specialist training (Dogs, Mounted Branch, Negotiator etc.). Criminal Justice Division, Specialist Crime Division and C3.

In addition to the structure, since the inception of Police Scotland the content of training delivered has been subject to significant review and standardisation. The number of individual learning products on our SCOPE system was initially refined from in excess of 10,000 course titles down to 2,000-3,000. This included significant work to de-conflict duplicate courses, training which related to the same subject but where the content was not standardised across the country, and courses that were particular to a geographical area. The same exercise was then undertaken in relation to specialisms attached to courses which involved a considerable amount of liaison with business areas across the organisation.

On completion, the next phase focussed on standardising course content and delivery which took a number of years to complete. Through tight control, we now have a single national set of courses totalling 1,275 (as at 22/5/24). 430 of these are delivered by LTD with the remainder being owned by another business area or delivered by an external provider. A robust governance process is in place to ensure that any new training being added to the system is a recognised national and quality assured product.

The Scottish Police College has been a recognised Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) Credit Rating Body (CRB) since 2008. This status affords the SPC the ability to apply formally recognised SCQF credit and level to Police Scotland programmes. This is a significant attribute for both LTD and Police Scotland and brings benefits for all staff and officers. The SPC was one of the first organisations to be awarded CRB status outside the college/university sector. In order to maintain CRB status the SPC is subject to an annual review where a number of rigorous criteria must continue to be met, with a robust quality assurance system and processes being applied and evidenced.

The SPC is also a Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) approved centre which allows the awarding of SQA qualifications, such as the Certificate in Policing. This requires that a number of demanding criteria continue to be met and reflects the effectiveness of Quality Assurance related policies and processes. Approved centre status is reviewed every 3-4 years to ensure continued compliance with SQA standards.

Some key successes within the LTD function in recent years have been:
• the standardisation and enhancement of the 2-day OST course for all officers which also now incorporates Operational First Aid,
• the recent review of Probationer Training and launch of the enhanced programme in May 2024 which incorporates C.A.R.E.S, a bespoke communication and de-escalation package, enhanced EDI inputs and is designed to improve work/life balance for new recruits and incorporate more time for practical application of the learning and reflection,
• the launch of two EDI modules for all staff and officers, 95% of whom completed the first module with the second one being launched in March of this year,
• the implementation of the Investigative Development Programme which outlines learning pathways for Detective Officers; and
• the delivery of training to support key organisational projects, including implementation of COS and Mobile Working.

Another development in recent years has been the introduction of the Strategic Learning & Development Governance Board (SLDGB). This provides oversight of all Learning & Development (L&D) activity across the organisation. LTD provides a single high level training timeline to this Board, reflecting key training products planned for roll out along with Business As Usual training over the current and forthcoming year. This enables informed decision making on the prioritisation of new training products and the organisation’s ability to absorb all the planned training.

Under this Board, recent instruction has been given to develop an L&D Plan for the organisation to cover the next two years. This is currently being finalised and will focus on key themes, including the L&D structure across the organisation (dispersed versus centralised), governance and prioritisation processes, protected time for learning, role requirements across the organisation, virtual instructor led training (previously called Virtual First), and online CPD platforms.

It should be noted, however, that the function faces a number of challenges at present. Resource levels within LTD continue to pose a risk to service delivery in line with the demands from the organisation. Whilst e-learning provides an efficient method of cascading training to a large target audience, the demands for e-learning products currently outweigh the modest resources within our e-learning department (2 permanent full-time staff). Whilst temporary resources are often secured for the delivery of project-related training, the lack of resource to support ongoing training requirements post project implementation, continues to present a challenge. Furthermore, even where temporary additional resource has been secured, it has often proven challenging to recruit suitable staff to these posts due to the temporary nature. Our Quality Assurance team has been operating at a reduced capacity in recent years as a result of staff re-allocations and the recruitment pause which has meant it has not been possible to advance with supporting Level 4 evaluations (organisational impact), or internally auditing the volume of courses that we should. Fluctuating Probationer numbers has also led to resourcing challenges within the Operational training department. As with the rest of the organisation, the impact of VR/VER is currently being assessed and solutions identified to manage the reduction in head count.

In addition to the above, particularly challenging has been the lack of continuity over the last few years due to a variety of reasons. Training pauses as a result of Op TALLA, COP26, and Op UNICORN, as well as the temporary closure of Tulliallan due to extensive pipe cleaning and maintenance, has impacted the ability of LTD to deliver the normal volume of training and, as such, the wait times for particular courses has risen. The most recent strategic training pause over December 2023 /January 2024 has also impacted some course waiting times.